Decorative capped wheel nuts and bolts are well-known in the automotive art. A decorative capped wheel nut assembly, for example, conventionally comprises a nut insert and a decorative cap which is fastened to the insert by welding, crimping or with an adhesive. Examples of these constructions are illustrated in various prior art patents, including the Toth U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,773, the Bydalek U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,377, the Chaivre U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,018,133, and 4,056,862, the Baltzell U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,070 and the Somers et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,420, for example. It is also known to form threads in a cap and in a lug nut and thread the cap onto the nut. See the Nolan et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,266 in this regard.
All nut or bolt and cap assemblies described in the prior art require relatively complex fastening structures, assembly procedures and/or additional components. Assemblies made by welding require expensive and sophisticated equipment for implementation of production. Practical options for plating the inserts are limited where welding is employed, placing welded designs at a disadvantage for achieving high corrosion resistance. Crimped fastening designs require the addition of components, i.e., a sealant or O-ring, which complicates automated assembly. The use of adhesives for fastening causes similar problems. Because of the nature of welding, or the use of additional components, production rates for these assemblies processes are low.